A huge chunk of the dazzling, big budget movies are released around the holidays, but January is a time when a lot of films are gaining awards notice, which means there are plenty of movies heading to Blu-ray and DVD before the Oscars air on February 28. Among this month’s big Blu-ray releases are The Martian and The Walk, but there are some excellent Digital movies hitting homes this month, too, including but not limited to Straight Outta Compton, Crimson Peak and Black Mass. Give the full list a look, below.

If you’re still keen to check out December releases, you can see them all here.

January 5

The Walk, Blu-ray

Juggling and street work aren’t enough of an emotional high for Philippe Petit, a real-life tightrope walker who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the film. Other bit players like Ben Kingsley and Charlotte Le Bon show up as characters supporting Petit in his biggest of big endeavors—aka walking between the Twin Towers on a tightrope—but this is mostly Gordon-Levitt’s rodeo. Overall, Robert Zemeckis’ lengthy story about the makings of a tightrope walker does have one big payoff: the walk itself, which is shot from such angles that the stakes are high and the visual effects are glorious. Having seen it on Blu-ray, I can only imagine what The Walk looks like in 3D, but I'd guess only good things can be said about that copy. If you were inspired by many of the dazzling effects in The Walk, you can catch the Blu-ray bonus features,which explain how very few practical effects had to be built in order to make the Twin Towers and Petit’s very famous walk come to life. The man of the hour even pops up in the extras, and an alternative opening and other deleted scenes provide even more whimsy and character background in the film. You can order your own copy over at Amazon.

Flesh and Bone, Blu-ray

It’s long been assumed that delicate and stunning ballet choreography only comes with a lot of pain. Regardless, the lead in Starz’s ballet drama Flesh and Bone, Claire (newcomer Sarah Hays), is used to a lot more pain than the kind sustained in her feet and ankles. She’s run away from home and her brother (Josh Helman) does not behave in a very brotherly manner toward her. This is one ballet story that’s not particularly romantic. Newcomer Sarah Hay is willing dancer but a troubled young woman and she’s surrounded by a well-acted cast who all play their own distinctive parts in her ultimate tale, including great turns from Damon Herriman as Claire's watcher and homeless neighbor Romeo, Ben Daniels as the compelling ballet head Paul Grayson and Irina Dvorovenko as the aging prima donna Kiira. It’s an overly dark story and often unsettling, but once you turn on the eight-episode series, it’s likely you’ll binge-watch your way through. Starz’s Blu-ray release is a barebones affair, with only a behind-the scenes feature called "Creating the World of 'Flesh and Bone" available with the set to "flesh out" Breaking Bad scribe Moira Waley-Beckett’s limited event series. Order your own copy, here.

True Detective: Season 2, DVD

Few shows elicited such a monumental amount of anticipation as True Detective did in the time between the polarizing Season 1 finale and the equally polarizing Season 2 premiere. With a positively stellar cast that includes Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn and Taylor Kitsch, the sophomore season of the dark and violent HBO drama centered on the aftermath surrounding the murder of a California land developer with a hand in way too many cookie jars. It came with everything one would expect from a neo-noir, from distinct murders to oodles of smoking to a moodiness so thick you can’t put a bullet through it. The complication-filled season was either ploddingly boring or exceedingly tense, depending on what you were looking for, and audiences were keen on expressing exactly what they thought of it all. The DVD set features a few features that fans will enjoy, including a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the city block-spanning shootout centerpiece and a brief overview of the season as a whole. (The location-porn extra compiling overhead shots of California locations was questionable.) I most enjoyed the commentaries with the stars and creator Nic Pizzolatto that accompanied two episodes, including the finale. If this sounds up your gritty alley, go ahead and order your own copy over on Amazon.

Other January 5 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

The Visit

Sicario

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser

Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse

The Green Inferno

Sleeping With Other People DVD

Broad City: Season 2 DVD

Condemned

Captive

Agatha Christie’s Partner in Crime

Week of January 5 Digital Releases

Galavant: Season 1 Our Brand Is Crisis

Jem and the Holograms

Straight Outta Compton

Legend

New Girl: Season 5 (January 6)

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (January 7)

American Crime (January 7)

January 12

The Martian, Blu-ray

Above all else, The Martian is a love letter to problem solving. It’s a big budget, over-the-top reminder that human beings are capable of accomplishing incredible things when they work together and have their backs against the wall. To get stranded Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) back from Mars, the smart people over at NASA must scheme, bicker, lie, barter and use their incredibly well-developed brains. It’s a gigantic ordeal, and thanks to Ridley Scott’s careful direction, it always feels exciting and understandable. The math may be too complicated for most of us, but the spirit is alive and exciting. Plus, with a slew of incredible supporting performances featuring everyone from Jeff Daniels to Donald Glover to Jessica Chastain, The Martian has as much talent as any film released in 2015. Extras include a gag reel--which I guess makes it more of a comedy?--and some behind-the-scenes featurettes that look at the making of the movie, all courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Plus, there are some Ares focused extras, many of which can be viewed online. The Martian is absolutely one of a handful of must-own movies that came out in 2015. Own it now.

Hotel Transylvania 2, Blu-ray

Director Genndy Tartakovsky came back for the Hotel Transylvania sequel, and because he and most of the main cast are back, the result is another pretty cute and warm comedy that can be enjoyed by family members of all ages. It’s one issue is that it takes a while to get into the main narrative, as we need to catch up with characters like Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his pals Frankenstein (Kevin James), Wayne (Steve Buscemi), Griffin (David Spade) and Murray (Keegan-Michael Key), not to mention the nuptials between Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and a pregnancy before the movie can get to the real story. This is just a speed bump created when Hotel Transylvania 2 decided to tell a story at a much later time than the original movie, but once we get into through the beginning, the pace is quick and entertaining. You’ll have a blast, and so will your kids.

One of the things I really like about Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s set is that it is pretty interactive. The characters from the movie will talk to you—or preferably your kids—when you pop the disc in, enticing you to stay for a sing-a-long "scary-oke." Some deleted scenes are also included and audio commentary, but the extras that are more kids-geared are always going to be better for this sort of release than commentary from Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and Allen Covert. Disney has enough of an adult fandom that I don’t think it has quite the same problem, but with this release, stick to the Scary-oke. Order your own copy of Hotel Transylvania 2 over at Amazon.

January 12 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Sinister 2

Mr. Robot: Season 1

Paranormal Activity 5: The Ghost Dimension

Irrational Man

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride The Devil Wears Prada: The 10th Anniversary Blu-ray

The Stanford Prison Experiment

All of My Heart

Week of January 12 Early Digital Releases

Black Mass

Goosebumps

The Last Witch Hunter

Burnt (January 15)

January 19

The Intern, Blu-ray

Nancy Meyers has made a career out of directing romantic, sentimental movies (and The Parent Trap). This time around, the writer and director ultimately opted to look at a different sort of relationship, creating The Intern, a story about a young woman named Jules (Anne Hathaway) who is just getting her first big experience as a boss and the relationship she cultivates with her retired intern, Ben (Robert De Niro). This seems like a pretty uncomplicated plot, but Meyers’ viewpoint is generally complicated, and Jules’ stressed relationship with her husband Matt (Anders Holm) actively plays into the plot, as well. Luckily, there are plenty of hijinks that come when Ben begins to engage with a bunch of other millenials (loveably played by Adam Devine, Zack Pearlman, Nat Wolff and Christina Scherer). It’s a fun movie and an engaging one, although not one that is meant to be groundbreaking or Awards-worthy. Three featurettes come with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set and do a lot to explain how Meyers came up with the idea for The Intern and hired a lot of young (or at least young-ish) comedians to really add to the script. Another segment looks at the fashion in the movie, but we gotta say, that one's a little less exciting. If you are just finding The Intern or would love to revisit the movie, you can order your own copy of the film, here.

Straight Outta Compton, Blu-ray

Straight Outta Compton is about more than the music that made N.W.A. famous, but the music is also what propels the music biopic film into something a bit more enigmatic and fun. While largely focusing on the rise of N.W.A. and the behind-the-scenes drama that caused problems for the rap crew, the movie also touches on a lot of cultural problems facing Los Angeles in the early nineties, although there are gaps in its narrative. It’s not a fun, feel-good movie, but thanks to solid performances from Paul Giamatti (playing Jerry Heller), Corey Hawkins (playing Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (playing Eazy-E), O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube) and a solid pace, Straight Outta Compton’s 2 ½ hour runtime flies by. Not only do you get a lot of movie with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set, the extras are extensive. A slew of deleted scenes, including on musical performance, exist with the Blu-ray. A ton of behind-the-scenes extras look at the origins of the film and feature both the actors and the real-life musicians who were available to interview and spent time on set (including DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, who has also had a prolific acting career in the days since N.W.A was a thing). Many of them also were producers on the movie, and seem to be actively involved with production. If you liked the movie, the extras are fascinating; check ‘em out with your own copy over at Amazon.

Other January 19 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Straight Outta Compton

Everest

The Diary of A Teenage Girl

Continuum: The Final Season (Season 4)

12 Monkeys: Season One

Jem and the Holograms

Week of January 19 Early Digital Releases

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (out of the vault)

Suffragette

Spectre (Friday, January 22)

January 26

Goosebumps, Blu-ray

The cleverest thing about Goosebumps, Rob Letterman’s film adaptation of the kid-horror works of R.L. Stein, is the fact that it adapts almost all of the author’s popular characters and plotlines into one smorgasbord of a supernatural thriller. Like Slappy, the menacing ventriloquist dummy? He’s here. How about the Lawn Gnomes, or the Invisible Boy? They’re here, as well. So is Stine, though the author is played by Jack Black, who needs the help of two teenagers (Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush) when all of his literary creatures escape from their books. Both funny and fun, Goosebumps succeeds as an introduction to horror, and as a nostalgic tribute for anyone who read every R.L. Stine book growing up. Grab a flashlight, crawl under your covers, and enjoy the Blu-ray. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s set comes with a few jazzy extras, including an alternate opening and a blooper reel. However, the really fun ones are the behind-the-scenes extras, which teach the kids at home things like gas and water don’t mix and how to make their own monster masks. If your kids want to look like R.L. Stine’s characters, take a look at "Creaturefied!." You can order your own copy of Goosebumps, here.

Other January 26 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Burnt

Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season

Downton Abbey: Season 6

Legend

Week of January 26 Early Digital Releases

The X-Files (The New Series) (January 25)

Crimson Peak

Truth

When we talk about shows being cancelled, low ratings are frequently the culprit. However, subscription cable shows don’t need as many live or same day viewers to find a niche, so there are often more unique reasons for shows ending their tenures on channels like HBO and Starz. Recently, we learned that Da Vinci’s Demons will be ending after Season 3, and this week Starz CEO Chris Albrecht revealed that a big reason the network dropped the series is that its fans overlap with other properties that are doing a bit better.

While I’m not certain that Ash Vs. Evil Dead will have a ton of audience crossover with Da Vinci’s Demons, Black Sails does have some crossover in terms of being a period drama with fun dialogue and featuring elements of adventure. Albrecht’s comments at the TCA press tour indicate that having other programs that resonate with viewers played a part in the show’s upcoming ending, but it’s not the only reason.

It also doesn’t help that David S. Goyer is no longer involved with Da Vinci’s Demons. Goyer’s a pretty prolific producer, and last TV season he spent time working on NBC’s Constantine. While that show unfortunately did not last past its first season on the major network, the point is, he’s a busy dude and he had to be replaced. While Starz isn’t saying anything negative about the new showrunner, it’s clear the show is no longer David S. Goyer’s baby and that makes it a little less of a draw.

A replaced showrunner and fanboy crossover aren’t the only two reasons Starz made the decision to end Da Vinci's Demons. Deadline reports that Albrecht also believes that the channel wasn’t sure they wanted to stick with the show, but that Season 3 is a good ending point because it will wrap up the current storyline satisfactorily.

At the end of the day, there are a lot of reasons a show gets cancelled, and unfortunately, a decent performer like Da Vinci’s Demons is not immune to getting the axe. On the bright side, the show hasn’t been cancelled effective immediately. The show’s third season will still hit the schedule, and soon. You can catch new episodes of Da Vinci’s Demons starting on October 24 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. In addition, Here’s what else the networks (and streaming services) have coming up this fall.

It's unfortunate that Da Vinci's Demons was cancelled. However, if you are looking to add the series to your dvd or blu-ray collection, you can check that out here.

We have sad news for fans of the inventive thriller Da Vinci’s Demons, today. While Starz has finally announced that Season 3 will be returning to the schedule this October, the announcement also comes with bittersweet news. Da Vinci’s Demons will officially be ending after Season 3.

Despite the cancellation news, fans will still be getting new episodes of the drama fairly soon. The network released the news along with the first trailer for Season 3 on Thursday, also noting that new episodes will hit the schedule on October 24. You can take a look at the upcoming season of the Tom Riley-led drama, below.

Da Vinci’s Demons has always had some dark and violent moments, but Leonardo Da Vinci has often been a cheeky and questioning character on the Starz series. In the new trailer, however, his weapons and innovations are being used for mass destruction, and the stakes seem to be a higher than usual. He even looks pretty badass for a second at the end of the trailer, pulling out a bow and arrow doohickey and channeling Arrow’s Stephen Amell. Maybe it’s just a particularly good trailer, and maybe it will be an extra-dark season of the David Goyer drama.

Starz has so many new programs on or headed to the schedule that Da Vinci’s Demons sort-of got lost in the shuffle. From shows like Survivor’s Remorse and Outlander that are heading into second seasons to shows in development like American Gods and shows primed to premiere, like Ash Vs Evil Dead, there's a lot to look forward to. Starz is getting more and more popular all the time, and with all of the good stuff coming up, it’s easy to forget that Da Vinci’s Demons has not actually been a part of Starz’s schedule for quite a while. The last time we got new episodes was way back in the spring of 2014. The last brand new episode aired in May of 2014, in fact, making it nearly a year and half between seasons, which is unusual for subscription cable.

Still, thanks to the new additions and the fact that Outlander is also being shifted to 2016 rather than premiering in late summer, I’m a little unsurprised about the scheduling changes. Still, do be sure to give Da Vinci’s Demons a watch when it premieres on Starz on October 24 at 8 p.m. ET.

Da Vinci's Demons is closing in on the final few episodes of its second season, and it looks like Starz is already set on moving forward with Season 3. The premium cable network passed along word this week that they've renewed Da Vinci's Demons for a third season.

In addition to announcing that they've renewed Da Vinci's Demons for Season 3, Starz confirmed that John Shiban will serve as the showrunner for next season. His past credits include serving as a producer for The X-Files and a consulting producer and writer for Breaking Bad. For AMC's Hell On Wheels, Shiban served as both executive producer and showrunner. Series creator David S. Goyer will remain with Da Vinci's Demons as executive producer.

Created by Goyer, Da Vinci's Demons stars Tom Riley as the title character, Leonardo Da Vinci, who's in his twenties in this take on his story, and living it up as an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist. "As a free thinker, with intellect and talents that are almost superhuman, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time." The series is one of numerous adventurous tales to air on Starz, which seems to be favoring historical and period dramas in the wake of Spartacus.

Here's a look at this Saturday's episode:

After "The Fall From Heaven" (Episode 8), Episode 9, titled "The Enemies of Man" will air on May 17. And then the finale ("The Sins of Daedalus") will wrap up the season on May 31.

Starz has 50 Cent's new drama Power lined up to air in the Saturday 900 p.m. timeslot as of June 7. And the cable network has yet to announce the premiere date for their anticipated period drama Outlander, which comes from Ronald D. Moore and is based on Diana Gabaldon's novels. But if they're set on airing new episodes of their original dramas strictly on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m., we might not see Outlander on the air until August. That's just speculation though. We'll be sure to update you if and when we know the date for that one.

In the meantime, it's always encouraging to see Starz staying the course on their original series. In addition to Da Vinci's Demons' renewal, Starz also has Black Sails set to return for a second season.

Starz’s period drama Da Vinci’s Demons is filled with puzzles, political intrigue, beauty, violence and magic—all of the big elements that help make any glitzy drama sparkle. The subscription cable network was so impressed with the concept that Da Vinci’s Demons Season 2 was picked up just one week after posting record-breaking premiere numbers. On Saturday, Starz is bringing the thrilling series back for a second season, and if you didn’t get on board for the first round, or need a bit of a refresher course, this article was written just for you.

Basic Premise Of The Series

As its title promises, Da Vinci’s Demons follows a young Leonardo Da Vinci, a brainy and gifted young man with a whirling dervish of a brain. He’s a person capable of handling numerous complex problems and projects at once, but he still enjoys toying around and having a drink or five each night. He’s the quintessential Renaissance man, living in Italy during that famed time period.

Da Vinci’s complicated relationship with his father has led him to make several decisions during the course of the series. Famously, we get to see the masterful and eccentric young man interact with Italy’s famed family the Medicis, who control a lot of power during the time period depicted on the small screen. While Da Vinci’s Demons is not strictly based on fact, plenty of references with historical value are made during the series. Mostly, it’s a fun and wild fantasy series meant to be taken as light, sometimes goofy and ultimately enjoyable fiction.

What We Saw Last Season

At the beginning of Season 1, Da Vinci was busy trying to lure in investors to fund his numerous and often zany projects. He caught the eye of the Medici family, who was constantly being threatened by other countries and even the papacy in Rome. The Medicis desperately needed a new system of weaponry, and Da Vinci convinced them to fund his efforts so that he could produce the desired weapons.

Early on, Da Vinci also met Lucrezia Donati, a beautiful young woman who also happened to be the mistress of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Unfortunately, he fell in love with the complicated woman, who happens to be a lover, a mistress and a spy. She proved to be a major problem for both Lorenzo and Da Vinci, but she did seem to have a certain fondness for the latter. Due to her father’s imprisonment in Rome, she was feeding information to the Pope’s employee Riario, a man hellbent on destroying the Roman Empire.

The design of weaponry was not enough to tide over Da Vinci. He also happened to be obsessed with the idea of gadgets, including a device to help humans take to the skies like birds. On top of this, he was known to visit wisemen and was on the quest for a mythical but possibly real book known as the Book of Leaves. Towards the end of the season, Da Vinci booked passage on a ship to look into the Book of Leaves, but he hit a roadbump when Riario attacked the Medici family. Da Vinci arrived in time to help Lorenzo and his family escape Riario’s clutches, but at the end of the last episode, they were still holed up and hiding out. Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, but if you are more interested in where Season 2 will go, keep reading.

What We Might See This Season

Starz has been busy putting out promos and trailers over the last several weeks. If you have caught any of the trailers, you have probably noticed there are a lot of mentions about the Book of Leaves. Da Vinci is on a quest, a quest that will either lead the Italian population “to illumination or into further darkness.” Da Vinci already pieced together some knowledge about the Book of Leaves (he even ripped off a dead dude’s skin to get that info) and newer images have seen the man hacking around through the jungle and walking around on beaches—behaviors that are neither posh or typically suited to a metropolitan Italian. Everyone also seems to be sporting shaggy hair to prove just how tough adventuring can be.

The show also seems to be picking up right where it left off, with the creepy mystic consultant acting pretty disappointed that Da Vinci chose the Medici family over what he perceives to be the greater struggle. Despite Da Vinci’s heroic efforts to save the day, there still seem to be some major problems in Florence. There are deaths in the streets and the Vatican still looks to have some tricks up its sleeve. On the bright side, it looks like Lorenzo will also be surviving, although, from the looks of things, he will have an empire to rebuild.

Additionally, the Medici clan and bad guy Riario seem to be back in the plot, which is a good thing, because I was concerned he might fall to the wayside in favor of new villains this season. Apparently David S. Goyer and co. know a good thing when they see it, and Riario will be back in full force. His main agenda is self-preservation, so when he intertwines with Da Vinci and co. things should get interesting. Riley recently mentioned in an article over at USA Today that Da Vinci is headed to Peru, and Riario just so happens to have the same destination in mind. So, expect a lot of barbs to be traded in the coming weeks.

Da Vinci’s Demons will return to Starz’s schedule on Saturday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET. Additionally, tomorrow Goyer will be on hand at 2 p.m. ET to take questions from fans on Twitter. Get excited. Winter may be coming, but so is the Book of Leaves.

With each new year comes a new set of TV shows to love or loathe. Between cable, network television and Netflix, which falls into its own budding small screen category, 2013 offered us some spectacular TV entertainment. Our favorite new TV shows of 2013 includes robots, clones, informants, politicians and more.

Here they are in no particular order!

Almost Human

Fox has developed a knack for merging procedural-type shows with a more serialized format, which offer a satisfying conclusion to each episode but also involves larger story arcs that allow us to get more invested with the characters each week. We’ve seen it with shows like House and Bones, and we’re seeing it again with Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human. The latter series edged out the former as my pick for best new TV show of 2013, but not by much. Both dramas feature interesting partnerships -- both of which, incidentally, occasionally offer great car ride banter -- but J.H. Wyman’s Almost Human takes the prize for me, due in part to my adoration of Michael Ealy’s humanoid robot character Dorian, and the budding bromance between him and his human cop partner John Kennex (Karl Urban). I also appreciate how well the futuristic backdrop is used, not only with the robot cops that are patrolling the streets, but also within the nature of the crimes committed and how they’re solved.

We’ve seen plenty of police procedurals before, but Almost Human is a perfect example of the evolution of the format, which demands a little something extra to keep viewers’ interests piqued and imaginations tickled. Almost Human is also a prime example of a sci-fi series that stands a decent chance to succeed on network television, because it's swimming with the current of a trending TV format, which allows the series to be accessible to both sci-fi fanatics and cop drama/procedural fans alike. Each episode is thrilling, engaging and just the right amount of funny. Let’s hope Almost Human continues to deliver when it returns with new episodes Monday, January 8 at 8:00 p.m. on Fox. (By Kelly West)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Awards show recognition isn’t always a true mark of quality (not naming any names, The Big Bang Theory) but Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Best Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes makes its inclusion in a list of the Best New Shows kind of a no brainer. And let’s hope the full season order is just the first of many with (Parks and Recreation’s) Michael Schur and Dan Goor’s new comedy only getting better with each episode. To be fair, B99 has been solid since the premiere (directed by 21 Jump Street’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller) but chemistry amongst the cast and crew is a crucial component for any sitcom’s success and it obviously only improves over time.

Speaking of the cast, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has assembled an incredible group of actors and comedians with Andy Samberg front and center as the goofy yet effective Detective Jake Peralta. While Samberg is solid as the semi-insubordinate lead, it’s the supporting members of the ‘department’ that elevate the cop-comedy to another level. Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, Stephanie Beatriz and Chelsea Peretti are all great in their respective roles (square, sensitive-hulk, schmuck, tough and crazy) with Andre Braugher stealing scenes as the ultimate straight man. Well, except that this stoic African-American police captain is gay. Did I mention the impeccable writing? If you’re not watching, start. Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns with Episode 12, “Pontiac Bandit,” on Tuesday, January 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox. (By Jesse Carp)

The Blacklist

Off-kilter procedurals are quite on trend. Audiences currently love the idea of seeing a bad guy caught in his or her deceit and treachery each week, but they don’t want to see the bad guys caught in the same format that police procedurals have offered for many years. Enter The Blacklist, NBC’s latest foray in the genre, which pairs an emotionally exhausted young FBI agent with a calculating criminal to catch some of the baddest baddies in the world.

The premise is simple, but clever. Fugitive Red Reddington (James Spader) turns himself in to the FBI, enlisting himself as a man the FBI needs to take down dangerous criminals. Under Reddington’s terms, his day-to-day business need not change and he would like to work alongside a young agent named Lizzie Keene (Meghan Boone). Playing the collected criminal seems to come naturally to Spader, who eclipses everyone else anytime he’s onscreen. Still, part of the reason The Blacklist works is because its talented cast and premise gel seamlessly onscreen. More importantly, The Blacklist has grabbed our attention hook, line and sinker, ending each episode on some cliffhanger or another. The Blacklist may in some ways offer a procedural format, but it’s more importantly a thriller, and its like nothing else on TV. (By Jessica Rawden)

The Blacklist returns with new episodes Monday, January 13 at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.

Orphan Black

Considering I already put Masters of Sex on my year-end list, it seemed only fair to highlight my other favorite new show on television: BBC America's Orphan Black. And before you brush past this science fiction series, hear me out. Because I was once like you — I once hated the idea of science fiction, all camp and circumstance — but Orphan Black is different. Half crime drama, half scientific morality play, the intriguing and unique premise of OB follows several identical women (all played by Tatiana Maslany) upon the realization that they're clones in a shady and probably illegal top-secret science project. Coupling crazy science with the social, moral, and biologic ramifications of human clones certainly feels far-fetched in premise, but it's actually not all that far off in reality.

This personal framework punches up the show's emotional quotient by a mile, elevating the stakes in a very human way. By the end of season one, three clones were the focal point of the series: soccer mom Alison Hendrix, science geek Cosima Niehaus, and punk rock rat, Sarah Manning with the promise of others — including pro-clone Rachel Duncan — to appear in season two, Maslany undertakes the Herculean to keep every clone a true individual with brilliance and finesse: you literally forget that it's one actor playing many parts. Each woman is a fully realized and unique individual with her own set of problems, ideas, morals, and desires: made distinct and different by Maslany's cut-up chops. It's the best acting on television today. (By Alicia Lutes)

Orphan Black returns for Season 2 on Saturday, April 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET on BBC America.

Hannibal

When you think about the fact that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had to sleep in separate beds in episodes of I Love Lucy in the late 1950s, and that the first episode of Leave It To Beaver was delayed because it required multiple shots of a toilet, you realize how far television has come in terms of what’s actually allowed to be on the air. Primetime programming is now regularly filled with all variations of sex, violence and bad language – albeit still within limits. Cable shows have always had a bit more freedom in this respect, being a subscription service, but network is starting to catch up. It’s for that reason that Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal deserves to be celebrated, not just for pushing boundaries, but for doing so in bold and intensely effective ways.

I admit that I didn’t catch the series as it first aired. Instead, I chose to marathon the entire first season this past October to get into the Halloween spirit. And I can’t even begin to tell you about the nightmares I had as a result. The show is a stunning mix of psychological horror and both implied and graphic violence that is paired with thrilling and scary drama and backed by some truly phenomenal performances. The last episode ended on a delicious cliffhanger and I am hungry for the show’s return (February 28 at 10:00 p.m. on NBC). (By Eric Eisenberg)

House of Cards

American television has always been a step behind the Brits when it comes to successfully taking the piss out of our politicians, and the streaming goliath Netflix looked to the BBC’s past for its first foray into dramatic original programming, the exceedingly drama-filled world of House of Cards. Against all odds, Netflix simultaneously unleashed all 13 episodes of its dark vision of Congressional politics, and gained millions of new subscribers in the process. Led by the droll and devious antics of Democratic House Majority Whip Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), the Emmy-nominated House of Cards delves deep into the inner workings of the seemingly impenetrable machine that is “getting shit done in Washington D.C.” And it’s a truly scary vision, filled with sex-for-power, morals flimsier than wet spaghetti, and characters whose backs have no room left for stabbing.

Frank’s bloodthirsty revenge on the system that screwed him out of a Secretary of State position is led by Spacey’s magnificent performance, and is backed by a wealth of supporting characters, including his equally self-serving wife Claire (Robin Wright), his young journalist go-between Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), and the drunken patsy Peter Russo (Corey Stoll). No one wants to believe that these are the people running the people that are running the country, but it makes for abundantly provocative TV viewing, with all the text message reading one could hope for from a series.

Orange is the New Black was a good, if too loosely plotted original series, but House of Cards is the densely dramatic web that Netflix can stick its hat in at the end of the day. Plus, it features one of the greatest lines of 2013, in restaurant owner Freddy’s (Reg E. Cathey) wise words: “But you know that’s why God gave us reflexes, so we can move the fuck out of the way when a fridge come out of nowhere.” (By Nick Venable)

House of Cards Season 2 debuts February 14, 2014.

Da Vinci’s Demons

Da Vinci’s Demons is a weird show that vaguely plays within historical timelines and with real historical figures but frequently takes license to amend and abridge for the sake of entertainment value. It offers viewers a pompous and selfish main character who is extremely difficult to root for. It has an odd obsession with birds, and despite is willingness to get sexual and violent, it’s probably a little too science and invention-driven to ever draw a large audience. It’s just an odd duck, but for those willing to walk out on a ledge and fixate on the mind of a virtuoso, there’s a canvas of joy and insight to be found here.

Like Sherlock, Da Vinci’s Demons spends much of its time fixating on how its hero’s mind works. It releases birds into the wild in slow motion as a way of conveying the angles he’s seeing. It leaves viewers completely in the dark as to how Da Vinci will solve problems of imminent importance, and it turns up the volume for dozens and dozens of strategy sessions that plot with the best of ‘em.

Leonardo Da Vinci was a true original with a wide variety of interests and a brain that rivals the smartest who ever lived. It only makes sense his show would be scatter-brained, chaotic and ultimately, really, really good. (By Mack Rawden)

Da Vinci’s Demons Season 2 is expected to air on Starz this Spring.

Check out our other 2013 Top TV lists here!

Da Vinci’s Demons ended its first season run on an explosive note, cutting fans off just as some major action was on the way. After basically arising from what audiences assumed was death, Giulino (Tom Bateman) came to the aid of his brother, only to be struck down a second time by Riario’s (Blake Ritson) men. Espionage, betrayals, violence, and hints about a new land were all crowded into the finale, and now that we’ve gotten a first look at Season 2 of Da Vinci’s Demons, we feel it is safe to say Starz’s drama won’t be slowing down a bit.

Really, it’s the eve of the weekend, so you really should just go ahead and give the above video a shot. If you do happen to be in a situation where you can’t play the Season 2 preview, I’ll sum it up the very best that I can. The series begins with a bonfire in the Italian streets. Da Vinci (Tom Riley) meets with a mystic, who chides him for the steps he has taken stating, “You’ve allowed your sympathy to blind you to the greater struggle.” It’s all very chilling, and even darker than some of the stuff that came our way in Season 1. In fact, the first season of the drama was often witty and more often outright amusing, so I hope we do end up getting some of that in Season 2, even if the trailer is going for the dramatic.

As the trailer continues, we get hints that the Vatican is up to shenanigans again, and we see several hangings in the streets. Eventually, Da Vinci comes to the realization that he must “search for an ancient, hidden wisdom that men have died protecting.” Honestly, the trailer is 2 minutes and 41 seconds long, but while it gives us a slew of glimpses at the new season, it doesn’t really give us a huge hint about what will go down, plot-wise, in Season 2. I honestly think that is fitting, since Da Vinci’s Demons is often a show that is full of riddles, but I could see some viewers wanting something a little more straightforward out of the trailer.

We do get to see that some key players will be returning, including Da Vinci, Riario, Lucrezia (Laura Haddock), and Lorenzo (Elliot Cowan). The new season is expected to premiere in the spring of 2014, and since the drama hit the schedule in April of this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if we’ll see it in April next year, as well. The new season has actually been a long time coming. Starz renewed the drama after just one episode aired and did well on the network, which is a little bit similar to what the network has done with programs like Boss and Magic City.

If you’ve been wanting to catch the first season of the historical reimagining, it’s already available in full via a multitude of platforms, including Blu-ray and DVD. You can check out the sets and the full list of bonus features or even check out our review of the set. Additionally, the premiere episode of the drama is still available to watch for free over at Starz.

Now You See Me Blu-ray

If its quick pace and large ensemble cast doesn’t interest you, the magic in Now You See Me should. From basic spoon bending tricks to bank heists, Summit Entertainment’s film is constantly asking fans to be open to new possibilities, and even when the movie gives audiences a few ludicrous premises, they should still enjoy the rollicking ride.

Toward the beginning of the film, four magicians show up at an apartment after receiving a mysterious invitation. The four magicians each have different talents and personalites and include the cocky J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), the sneaky mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), the daredevil escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a newbie who is in awe of the older musicians but knows how to pick a lock. A few months later they appear onstage as a group, a clan of magicians hellbent on robbing a bank. After they seem to succeed at the large ‘trick,’ lawman Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) are brought in to handle the case.

The film is full of twists and turns, some of which are easy to believe and others that stretch our imaginations somewhat. Still, Now You See Me is one of those rare fun flicks that asks us to just suspend disbelief and go along with the ride. Thanks to several tight opening scenes and an interesting mystery surrounding a magician who drowned decades ago, it’s pretty easy to stick with the film until its conclusion and to enjoy the unique twists the movie employs.

Now You See Me is a film that excites the senses without ever really doing anything groundbreaking. Still, the movie is a fun one and now is a good time to give it a shot, as director Louis Letterier will be back with a sequel in the future.

You can order Now You See Me over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: The menu for Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Home Entertainment’s release is pretty exciting. While watching a bonus feature, you can peruse the menu while still keeping an eye on the extra via a picture in picture screen. “A Brief History of Magic” is probably the most interesting extra, but it does present the information in a pretty dry manner. You can check out the other bonus features, below.

Other Special Features:

Deleted Scenes

“Now You See Me Revealed”

Audio Commentary from producer Bobby Cohen and director Louis Leterrier

Theatrical Trailer

Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete First Season Blu-ray

Starz’s new drama, Da Vinci’s Demons, is a divisive program, following a young Leondardo Da Vinci (Tom Riley), who hops from project to project and goal to goal on a whim, all with his merry band of troublemakers there to help him. He’s playing with fire as he hooks up with women connected to the powerful Medici family and bluffs his way through warfare, but throughout Season 1, the man mostly still manages to land on his feet.

Riley is enigmatic in the series, but he does have a great character to work with. There are a lot of shades of Sherlock Holmes in Starz’s drama, from the way Da Vinci puzzles out mysteries to his abrupt personality and his infuriating ability to come up with the right answer in most situations. He’s not the only character in the series that is fascinating, though. The two Medici brothers, Lorenzo (Elliot Cowan) and Giulino (Tom Bateman), rely on each others’ strengths to help navigate Florence politically in a seemingly never-ending battle against Rome. Medici’s wife, Clarice (Lara Pulver) and his mistress, Lucrezia (Laura Haddock) are also multi-faceted and give us plenty of reasons to tune in.

Regardless, Da Vinci’s Demons is mostly a tale of revisionist history, and Starz’s new drama hasn’t quite figured this out yet. Some weeks, we get stories that seem to be straight out of the pages of dry history books, while other weeks we get tales of mythos and horror and are introduced to demons, mystics, and maybe even some magic. The show has the opportunity to go boldly where no show featuring Da Vinci has ever gone, but sometimes the series is too over-the-top and in other moments, the drama feels a little too grounded.

Throughout Season 1, Da Vinci’s Demons never finds the right balance in its plotlines, but I do appreciate that the drama likes to try new things, including a fluttering of illustrated drawings whenever Da Vinci has come up with a new idea or is trying to piece together an invention. Sometimes it takes a show several episodes to find the right balance, and since the series only got eight episodes to flesh out its first season, I’ll be happy to see what it attempts in Season 2.

You can order Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete First Season over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: When I first began watching the bonus features, I assumed the “Constructing Da Vinci” segment would be about creating the character. Instead, it was about the sets in the series. A closer look at each of them shows extraordinarily detailed rooms and backdrops. These sets look great in HD picture, but they also look as if they were expensive to produce. It’s no shock, then, that Starz might want to go ahead and sign on for a second season of the drama if the network already has a lot invested in the series.

Other Special Features:

“Mastering Da Vinci”

“Dressing Da Vinci”

“Worldwide Fanfare”

Deleted Scenes

Audio Commentaries

Spartacus: War of the Damned Blu-ray

The final battle cry was yelled and the final sword was crossed months ago, but it’s still difficult to believe that Starz’s drama Spartacus has finished out its final installation with War of the Damned. The Roman gladiator and rebellion-based drama really put Starz on the map as a scripted player and its final season sent our main characters out in style.

Anyone familiar with the story of Spartacus in Roman history knows that the gladiator rebellion did not end well for the smaller, less well-financed party. Thus, for three seasons, Spartacus wasn’t about determining the outcome of our group of rebels, but rather, it was a show that made us love a group of solid fighters with different motivations and personalities. It was about fighting for honor, glory, freedom, asylum, and much more, all against the tyranny of a Roman faction that also included likeable and intricate personalities. Spartacus is a complicated drama, and that extends all the way into War of the Damned.

In War of the Damned, Spartacus (Liam McIntyre), Crixus (Manu Bennet), Agron (Daniel Feurriegel), Naevia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Saxa (Ellen Hollman), and Gannicus (Dustin Clare) are working to battle harder and take over larger parts of Rome, freeing servants and slaves while they go. The group is divided in some ways due to petty infights and an influx of people, but they still manage to challenge Roman armies led by Glaber (Craig Parker) and Caesar (Todd Lasance).

Like other seasons of Spartacus, War of the Damned is well-crafted in some ways and kitschy in others. The highly stylized rendition of the rebellion is no less bloody than in past seasons, but in many ways it is a more meaningful and grown-up battle that gives us a tale of a bold ending, rather than one filled with hope.

The season also looks spectacular on Blu-ray, and if you get the chance to catch it in High Definition, that’s certainly the way I would suggest watching it. You can order the Spartacus: War of the Damned Blu-ray over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature:My copy of War of the Damned was presented in a Blu-ray book format. Each of the discs is enclosed in one of the “pages” of the Blu-ray book, and each of the pages features a pretty collage. It’s a really nice-looking set, and it’s full of bonus features.

Of these, the best extra is probably “Spartacus: The Legend Retold.” It’s the first featurette available on the fourth disc in the set, and it goes through the history of the series since its 2010 inception. There are some goofy introductions from a voiceover guy, but we get to hear from characters who made a major impact throughout the series, and Gods of the Arena and Andy Whitfield’s cancer diagnosis is also discussed. There’s always a lot to talk about with a season that finishes out an epic series, and the Spartacus: War of the Damned set hits all of the right notes.

Other Special Features:

“The Price of Being a Gladiator”

“A Bloody Farewell”

“The Spoils of War Revealed: Visual Effects”

“Adorning the Damned”

“The Mind Behind Spartacus”

Audio Commentaries

Extended Episodes

The League: The Complete Season 4 DVD

The League has always been a consistently funny series and Season 4 is no exception. Coming off of an epic Season 3 finale, I wasn’t certain that FX’s comedy would have the chops to be bold in Season 4, but right off the bat, fans are in for some hilarious plotlines, including the wrath of Shiva and a fantasy football league bet to name Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) and Jenny’s (Katie Aselton) baby.

Though the series follows the antics of a group of friends whose lives revolve around a fantasy football league, there are actually a lot more plotlines revolving around the character’s families in Season 4. I chalk most of this up to the pregnancy plotline, but Ruxin’s (Nick Kroll) wife Sofia (Nadine Velazquez) also pops up in a whopping five episodes in the season and his dad (played by Jeff Goldblum) even makes an appearance. More family isn’t a bad thing, and it means The League has a little more going on in terms of plot than is typical.

Jenny and Kevin’s baby problems are not the only great moments in Season 4, however. Shiva actually shows up at Andre’s (Paul Scheer) home to curse the guys in the group stating, “This league does not have the Shiva’s blessing. This year will go badly.” Other humorous plotlines revolve around Taco’s hijinks, which include squatting in people’s homes and on website addresses.

Season 4 offers us 13 episodes full of plotlines similar to these, and while that isn’t a ton of episodes, both the Blu-ray and DVD sets are on sale for a reasonable cost over at Amazon.

Best Special Feature: The League is often a collection of loosely related scenes featuring the guys riffing off one another. As such, the deleted scenes are awesome. Sometimes, deleted scenes are hard to follow and are dependent on knowing the context of the episode they correlate with, but that doesn’t really matter with this set. Additionally, the gag reel is worth a watch.

Other Special Features:

Extended Episodes

Gag Reel

Taco Tones

“Rafi’s Helpful Holiday Hints”

“Witchy Woman Podcast”

Alt Nation

Other September 3 Releases

If you haven’t caught the gist of this week’s releases so far, television is front and center. Fall TV premieres begin rolling out in just a few weeks and this month’s early Blu-ray and DVD releases are a good indicator of what shows fans will be getting, and soon (with the exception of Spartacus and The Office, which already ended their respective runs).

One of the big releases this week is Parks and Recreation, an NBC comedy that has been well-liked on the network for several years now, but which just managed to eke by with a renewal order as comedy after comedy on NBC bit the dust. This week’s DVD release is a triumph for the comedy, which is headed into Season 6 this fall, with Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe only set to appear in the first part of the season before exiting the series.

The Season 5 DVD set isn’t anything to write home about, although it does come with a few bonus features, including extended episodes, deleted scenes, a gag reel “unsensored,” and Patton Oswalt’s Sci-Fi Filibuster, which was actually a really good segment this season. I wish we could have seen more from the “Bailout” episode, in which Leslie Knope tried to save a local video store by giving it historic status, only to be repaid by having it turned into a porn haven, replete with a porn video modeling members of the Parks and Recreation Department. I know that extra probably would have been NC-17, but still, hilarious.

If you’re looking for a set that covers plenty of bonus features, Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s other set this week, The Office: Season Nine, might actual be a better purchase. The farewell to the show features over two hours of deleted scenes, audition tapes for some members of the cast, and a few segments dedicated to the end of an era. You can order that set over at Amazon, or you can check out some more of the August 27th releases, below. Unless otherwise noted, the upcoming releases are available on both Blu-ray and DVD.

The Office: Season 9

Parks and Recreation: Season 5

Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fourth Season (featuring “The Originals” intro episode)

BlancaNieves

Empire State

Stories We Tell

The Lords of Salem

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray

Person of Interest: The Complete Second Season

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season Eight

Revolution: The Complete First Season

Sharknado

Haven: The Complete Third Season

Regular Show Fright Pack DVD

Criminal Minds: Season 8 DVD

Da Vinci’s Demons didn’t take long to earn a second season. The new Starz drama debuted to record-breaking numbers just this past weekend – probably thanks in part to a strong lead-in from departing series Spartacus - and the premium network wasted no time in renewing it.

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht made the announcement today:

Da Vinci’s Demons follows the wild youth of famed painter and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci, who has rarely been portrayed as anything other than an aged man on the screen. Set in Forence, Italy, during the Renaissance, the plot follows the genius as he tries to move his work forward, meanwhile becoming involved in mystery and adventure. British actor Tom Riley plays Da Vinci, and Laura Haddock plays Lucrezia Donati, his lover and a woman with connections to the powerful Medici family. She is also British, as are many of the cast members since the show is produced in partnership with the BBC and is filmed in Wales.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Starz is offering the first episode for free online, which might help you decide if you want to add the channel to your cable before Episode 2 hits this Friday. With Spartacus now ended, Da Vinci’s Demons will take over the 9 p.m. timeslot on Fridays starting this week. Season 2 is set to begin filming next month and is expected to air in 2014.

Starz made the wise choice to debut their new series Da Vinci's Demons immediately following the series finale of their popular historical fantasy drama Spartacus: War of the Damned, and based on the numbers from this weekend, it paid off for the pay cable channel in the ratings.

Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons managed to bring in 4.8 million total viewers over multiple viewings during the course of the weekend. Deadline says that's a record weekend for Starz. And it's not the only good news for the network. David S. Goyer's Da Vinci's Demons debuted to an audience of 1.04 million viewers for its 10:00 p.m. airing. When factoring in additional airings over the course of the weekend, the new drama took in 2.14 million viewers, which puts it a little bit ahead of Camelot's premiere (2.09 million viewers), setting a new premiere record for a Starz original series.

The original airing of Spartacus: War of the Damned's finale at 9:00 p.m. brought in 1.43 million viewers. The series, which closed out its excellent run after three full seasons and one limited prequel season, earned. 2.7 million total viewers over the course of the weekend. WIth numbers like those, I'm thinking Starz will miss this show about as much as the fans will.

The Spartacus lead-in surely helped Da Vinci's Demons in its series premiere, and hopefully those fans of the gladiator drama will continue to tune in to Da Vinci's Demons when the series takes over Spartacus' old time slot at 9:00 p.m. on Friday nights, beginning this week. Both shows fall under the category of historical fantasy, in that they're period dramas loosely based on real people and events. They also share the Italian setting, but that's about where the similarities end. They're set in different centuries and tell very different stories. But as a fan of Spartacus and as someone who really enjoyed the first few episodes of Da Vinci's Demons, I'm as hopeful that the Starz series will see the same ratings success as its predecessor as I am that Da Vinci's Demons continues to be as great as its premiere.

Those who don't have Starz can still watch the series premiere of Da Vinci's Demons online. If you've seen it already, check out the preview for this Friday's "The Serpent" here.

Along with airing the series finale of Spartacus: War of the Damned, last Friday night, Starz debuted the first episode of Da Vinci's Demons, an exciting new historical fantasy drama about the great Leonardo Da Vinci during his younger years as an adult living in Florence, Italy. The series premiere introduced a mystery into the main character's life, and based on the preview for the second episode, titled "The Serpent," it looks like Da Vinci's not wasting any time in exploring that mystery further.

His interest in the Book of Leaves is mentioned specifically in the preview for "The Serpent," but everything that follows is just a series of quick and exciting glimpses. Starz's brief episode description below fills in a few vague blanks on where the story will go in its second episode.

How will the Pope learn of Leonardo's prowess? We'll find out in The Serpent.

Created by David S. Goyer, Da Vinci's Demons stars Tom Riley as Leonardo Da Vinci, a painter, sculptor, adventure and all around renaissance man living in Florence, trying to bring his innovated ideas to fruition. The series premiere introduced us to the lead character as he tries to create a workable flying machine, learns about the Book of Leaves, and meets the beautiful Lucrezia. In case you missed it or want to watch the series premiere again, Starz has made the full episode available to view online. And read our review of the series here.

Starz has offered up a treat for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. The premium cable network is set to debut their new historical fantasy drama Da Vinci's Demons tonight, but those who don't want to wait until it airs after the finale of Spartacus airs, or who don't have a subscription to Starz can watch the full premiere episode, "The Hanged Man" online now! The (slightly edited) episode is rated TV-14. Right here. (Above.)

Created by David S. Goyer, Da Vinci's Demons stars Tom Riley as Leonardo Da Vinci, a young artist, inventor, swordsman and so much more. The series imagines the man during his younger years, when he was just on the cusp of greatness. Set in beautiful Florence during the fifteenth century, the story follows Da Vinci as he attempts to find ways to fund his work and is soon lured into a strange mystery involving the Book of Leaves. Adventure, danger, romance and more await as this intriguing, mysterious and thrilling story gets going.

We had more to say about this exciting new drama series in our review of the first few episodes. Be sure to tune in to watch the premiere when it airs tonight on Starz at 10:00 p.m. Da Vinci's Demons will move to 9:00 p.m. to take over Spartacus' old time slot starting next Friday night, so if you love the premiere and you're not already signed up for Starz, you might consider making that happen before the next episode airs.

What becomes clear from the start of David S. Goyer's new historical fantasy series Da Vinci's Demons is that this show won't work if fans aren't completely drawn in by Tom Riley's performance as the legendary artist, inventor, painter and all around Renaissance Man. Fortunately for Da Vinci's Demons, and for Starz, the series succeeds in selling us on the character, presenting him as a man who manages to measure up to the hype of his legend, while also coming across as human, relatable, flawed and likable all at once. Da Vinci's Demons plays almost like a procedural at times, introducing new mysteries, many of which are tied to the overall plot, and giving the titular character riddles to solve, challenges to overcome, and plenty of opposing characters to outsmart. In the end, what Goyer has delivered is something exciting, mysterious, suspenseful and clever.

Set in fifteenth century Florence, the series premiere introduces us to Leonardo Da Vinci, a 25-year-old man whose genius can't be contained to one medium. When he isn't painting or sculpting, he's trying to create a workable flying machine or working on other inventions, some more dangerous and innovative than others. The series introduces a number of mysteries, among which are Da Vinci's lost memories, which relate largely to his mother, who died a mysterious death when he was younger. Information given to him from a Turk (Alexander Siddig) in the first episode leads him to pursue answers, and also attempt to unravel the mysteries related to the mythical "Book of Leaves." Things are further complicated when he forms a romantic relationship with Lucrezia Donato (Laura Haddock), a woman who's married to a noble class man but earns more status for being the mistress to Lorenzo de Medici (Elliot Cowan).

Opposing Medici is Count Girolamo Riario (Blake Ritson), the nephew of the Pope, who believes Florence to be a prime example of what's wrong with the direction of things in Europe, and seeks to take down Medici, using any means necessary.

Fitting to the time and location, religion and politics are intermixed, creating interesting and exciting conflict. However, the focus of the show is on Da Vinci and his mysteries, which is why it's so crucial that Riley be the primary draw for this series. And he really is. He's an attractive man, but not distractingly so. It's his cleverness that makes Da Vinci such a mesmerizing character, and Riley sells that well. The wheels in Da Vinci's head are always turning, allowing us to sit back and wonder what he might say or do next. The execution of certain scenes remind me of shows like Sherlock, Elementary or House, when you're watching the lead build up to a point he's about to make but you aren't sure what it is until he brings it home and blows everyone's minds because he's brilliant. It's a satisfying experience and one that works really well in justifying Da Vinci's reputation. Not only is he often the smartest man in the room, he also knows how to apply his intelligence to his situations, some of which are literally life or death.

Another aspect of the series that works really well is the establishment of Da Vinci's group. He isn't alone in his endeavors. Early on in the series, we see him testing one of his flying machines with Nico Machiavelli (Eros Vlahos), his young and devoted apprentice, while the young and beautiful part-time portrait model Vanessa (Hera Hilmar) watches on. Zoroaster (Greg Chillin) serves as Da Vinci's connection to the Florentine underworld. His questionable morals as a thief and a hustler, have him often looking for a way to cash in on any given situation. But he's also the voice of reason when Da Vinci's plans get out of hand. Da Vinci is a man who sees things as they should be, not as they are and that can be a bit maddening at times. Sometimes he needs to be reeled in, and that's where his friends come in.

The group's support adds a bit more balance to Da Vinci's character. He can't be all things at once without becoming superhuman. The character comes close to that line, without fully crossing it. In addition to a great dynamic, the pacing in each episode works nicely, drawing us into the central mystery involving the Book of Leaves while also introducing new challenges and conflicts with each installment. That allows for some resolution and a satisfying conclusion with each episode, while also leaving just enough unanswered questions to make us want more. The visual effects, which are sometimes used to bring Da Vinci's creations to life, and other times used to illustrate his thought process, are pretty solid and add a unique visual style to the show. And the Florentine backdrop is stunning and well used.

Starz has the right idea in introducing Da Vinci's Demons to viewers following the conclusion of Spartacus, as fans who loved this historical fantasy drama are going to be in the market for another show that fits that fairly vast genre, come this Friday night when the gladiator series wraps up. With that said, the genre, the fact that both shows are set in Italy (in different time periods) and are airing on Starz are about the only major connections they have. I also expect this series will take some liberties with its historical content for the sake of the story, much in the way Spartacus has. But Da Vinci's Demons isn't Spartacus. It's a different story about a different character, set in a different time with a very different tone. But based on the first few episodes, the show does have the potential to be as engaging, exciting and unpredictable as Spartacus. Da Vinci's Demons imagines its title character as he might have been during his younger years, when he's just at the cusp of greatness and desperate to realize all of the things that his mind has created. There are so many places they can take this adventure, and based on the start of it, Da Vinci's Demons is aiming for the skies.

Da Vinci's Demons premieres April 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET on Starz.

As Starz's latest promo reminds us, the premium cable channel is combining two events into one night this week, delivering the final installment of the Spartacus saga and chasing it with the airing of the series premiere of Da Vinci's Demons, a new period drama, which focuses on the life and adventures of a young Leondaro Da Vinci.

The new promo teases the final battle for Spartacus: War of the Damned, showing the rebellion leader stating firmly, "We decide our fate." Which isn't exactly, "Don't worry, none of us are going to die!" It's probably more like, "If we die, we're doing it our way and we're going down in a blaze of glory." Or hopefully, "victory," as the title of the series finale suggests. As the Spartacus side of the promo has to share precious seconds with Da Vinci's Demons, you can watch the full trailer for "Victory" here. And be sure to tune in on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. to watch the finale air.

With Spartacus' ending comes Da Vinci's Demons' beginning. David S. Goyer's new series stars Tom Riley as the title character, Leonardo Da Vinci, artist, inventor, expert swordsman and so many other things. The clip below shows Da Vinci setting eyes on the beautiful Lucrezia (Laura Haddock).

The wheels in Da Vinci's head are most definitely turning as he sets eyes on Lucrezia. But what is he planning? Find out when Da Vinci's Demons airs Friday night (April 12) at 10:00 p.m. on Starz.

If Da Vinci's Demons turns out to be half as good as it looks in its trailer, we're in for something dramatic, exciting, suspenseful and adventurous. David S. Goyer's new series is set to premiere in less than a month on Starz, following the conclusion of Spartacus: War of the Damned. With Spartacus in mind, Italy is certainly familiar territory for the pay cable channel, however Da Vinci's Demons takes place more than a millenium later, and north of Rome to beautiful Florence in the 1400s.

Da Vinci's Demons is a historical drama, which stars Tom Riley as the title character and focuses on Leonardo da Vinci during his younger years. The trailer gives us a series of glimpses into who the character is, showing us a young, gifted man who's defiant, intelligent, adventurous, charismatic and maybe just a little bit cocky. But the sexy kind of cocky, which comes from a man who's likely to have the brains and creativity to back up that swagger. It also looks like religion and politics will play their part, which seems only fitting for a drama set in Italy during this era.

I don't expect Da Vinci's Demons to replace Spartacus, but anticipating the absence of Steven DeKnight's historical drama, I really hope Da Vinci's Demons finds a way to fill the gap while also coming into its own the way Spartacus did over the course of its first season. I'm excited to get to know this Da Vinci character. He looks interesting.

Da Vinci's Demons premiers April 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

As Spartacus: War of the Damned marches toward its finale, Starz has Da Vinci's Demons poised to take over Friday nights next month. The premium cable network released a new video, which features series creator David S. Goyer, the cast and writers as they talk about this intriguing looking historical drama, which re-imagines the younger years of Italian Renaissance thinker and creator Leonard Da Vinci.

David S. Goyer says Da Vinci's Demons is more like an 8-hour movie than a TV show, going on to say that it kind of re-imagines Da Vinci's as a superhero and an adventurer. Those are just some of the comments made in the video below, which gives us a look at some of the exciting moments from the upcoming series, and also features the executive producers and cast members discussing what's ahead for the series.

Da Vinci's certainly a well celebrated historical figure. This show looks like it will take that to the next level by turning into an adventurous TV character, who's apparently also like a sexier Sherlock Holmes.

Da Vinci's Demons stars Tom Riley as Leonard Da Vinci. Laura Haddock plays Lucrezia Donati, Elliot Cowen plays Lorenzo Medici (ruler of Florence), Lara Pulver as Lorenzo's wife Clarice Orsini, and Blake Ritson as the "ruthless bastard son" of Pope Sixtus (James Faulkner). The cast certainly has a lot going from it, and - like Spartacus - the historical source material will surely give Goyer and the writers plenty to work with. We'll have to wait and see how the show turns out when it debuts April 12.

The final season of Spartacus is underway, which means we're in the countdown to the premiere of Starz's new drama Da Vinci's Demons. The premium cable network has released a pretty cool piece of key art for the upcoming series, which focuses on the title character looking almost angelic… or would it be demonic?

Among other things, Leonardo Da Vinci was known for his interest in flying machines, including the ornithopter (an aircraft that flies by flapping wings). So the image in the poster is particularly fitting in that respect, but with series star Tom Riley holding his arms raised, the frame of wings on his back make him look like an angel. I'm going with angel, though the word "demons" in the title may suggest otherwise.

Created by David S. Goyer, Da VInci's Demons will follow Leonardo da Vinci, the artist, inventor, swordsman, dreamer and idealist, in his younger years, at the age of 25 when he was just at the cusp of greatness. Well remembered for his contributions and achievements, the series has a real opportunity to explore (dramatically) what he might have been like as a young man.

Dark and dramatic, the poster looks great, with Da Vinci's arms outstretched upward, beneath the words "Genius cannot be contained." I'm hopeful that the poster is an accurate indication of how good the series will be. We'll find out one way or the other when Da Vinci's Demons premieres Friday, April 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

Starz has offered up a number of updates recently, among which is word that production has begun on their upcoming new series from Michael Bay, Black Sails. Starz also announced the official premiere date for Da Vinci's Demons, which we shared with you the other day. Now we have the new trailer for David S. Goyer's new historical fantasy drama, which shows us Leonardo Da Vinci as portrayed by Tom Riley.

As we reported just yesterday, David S. Goyer's Da Vinci's Demons premieres April 12. That seems a bit far away, but fortunately we'll have the final season of Starz's other historical fantasy series Spartacus: War of the Damned to tide us over, right? While Da Vinci's Demons does appear to feature some violence, based on what we've seen of it so far in the trailer below and the previously released footage, it looks like this one will be less about the fighting and more about Da Vinci's adventures, romances and imaginative endeavors.

Adventure, romance and beautiful Firenze! There's certainly plenty of reason to anticipate this new series. I doubt anything could truly fill the void left by Spartacus when the series wraps up later this year, but as a Starz subscriber, I'm hopeful that Da Vinci's Demons will be as good as it looks and yet another reason to appreciate Starz original programming. And then there's also Black Sails to look forward to!

Headed for Starz this spring is David S. Goyer's original series Da Vinci's Demons, a new historical fantasy that tells the 'untold' story of Leonardo Da Vinci. Starz released an exciting new teaser for the series, which offers a glimpse of Da Vinci, a man who's been chosen by fate.

Da Vinci's Demons stars Tom Riley as Da Vinci and tells the story of the legendary thinker during his youth in Renaissance Florence. At 25 years old, this Da Vinci is described as brilliant and passionate, an inventor, artist, idealist, dreamer and a lover. He's also not bad to look at, as you'll see in the video below, which teases this intriguing looking series.

Birds, swords, dramatic moments, pretty people, fighting, horses and because it's Starz, sexy moments! Also on board to star in Da Vinci's Demons is Laura Haddock, who's set to play Lucrezia Donati ("the celebrated beauty with obscure motives), Elliot Cowan as Lorenzo Medici (the shrewd de factor ruler of Florence), Lara Pulver as Medici's wife Clarice Orsini, and Blake Ritson as Pop Sixtus' "ruthless bastard son" Count Riario.

I really want Da Vinci's Demons to be good, especially considering the show arrives Spring 2013, which is right around the time Spartacus should be wrapping up its final season. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if Starz were planning on kicking off DD just as Spartacus: War of the Damned ends. No official date has been set for either series, but Spartacus is expected to return this January (just a couple months away!), while Da Vinci's Demons arrives this spring.

Starz has a new original series in the works, one that will be less based around brawn and violence like hit series Spartacus and more about wit, intellect, and talent. Like Spartacus, however, the pay-cable network’s new series will also spin history and fiction, this time to tell a story about Leonardo Da Vinci in his youth. With BBC Worldwide on board to help produce and David Goyer set as showrunner, it’s no surprise the show already seems to be on its feet. British actor Tom Riley has already signed on to play the energy-filled young inventor in the show, dubbed Da Vinci’s Demons and now Starz has cast its second lead in the period drama.

The famous Italian family, the Medici’s, will also play a part in the storyline, and while the show’s new casting will not be part of the Medici family, she will have strong ties to the well known clan. British actress Laura Haddock, who can be currently seen on the revamped version of Upstairs, Downstairs and who had a small cameo in last year’s Captain America will take on the role of Da Vinci’s lover, Lucrezia Donati in the upcoming series. Remember my mention of the Medici family? According toTHR, Lucrezia will also be sleeping with Lorenzo Medici. I smell unnecessary drama.

We still have a while to wait for the new series – while production is supposed to begin in 2012, Da Vinci’s Demons won’t actually air until sometime in 2013. Still, with the popularity of such BBC crossovers as Downton Abbey and Sherlock a partnership between the BBC and Starz for Da Vinci’s Demons sounds like it could be a winner, and well worth the wait.

Starz and BBC Worldwide Productions' upcoming original series Da Vinci’s Demons sounds like it has real potential to be another must-watch series for Starz. The actor who takes on the role of the title character could prove to make or break the drama. Word is, the role has been cast.

We learned last fall that Starz and BBC were moving forward on a joint venture for an original drama series titled Da Vinci’s Demons. Described as a historical fantasy, the drama will follow a young Da Vinci, known for his passion and brilliance, inventions, art and ability with the sword. With a “character” like that, the series has plenty of places to go.

According to Deadline, British actor Tom Riley has been signed on to play Leonardo Da Vinci in the series and from the sound of it, series showrunner David S. Goyer is pleased with the selection:

Riley’s most recent credit was for a British TV series called Monroe, and his earlier credits seem to be comprised mostly, if not completely of U.K. credits. So, while those of us in the States may not be all that familiar with his work just yet, it sounds like we’re about to get more than a sample of it when Da Vinci’s Demons premieres on Starz.